More information : [TF 03722150] Site of Vaudey Abbey [GT] (Cistercian Founded AD 1147) Stew Pond. (1)
The Cistercian Abbey of Vaudey, or Vallis Dei, which was for a very short time at Bytham, was founded in 1147-8 and dissolved in 1536. A little masonry including the base of a clustered pier near the south end of the lake, is all that remains (3) .
The church was consecrated to the Blessed Virgin and in the 18th century one of the springs in the park was still called Virgin's Well. The quarries of black marble which once belonged to the Abbey, were being worked in the 18th century. (2-4)
The site of the abbey is marked by amorphous grass covered mounds. Centred TF 03702148 they extend for a short distance either side of the road through Grimsthorpe Park and are enclosed within coniferous plantations. (5)
The well was not identified but the quarries are thought, by the estate manager, to be centred at TF 03702045. No change since 16 6 65. (6) |